Beginning the journey
I started journaling in 2015, kind of on a whim. I’m not even sure why I started. I just remember that my aunt took me to the store and I saw this notebook I liked with “Trust in the Lord” on it. Although I went to church with my parents and attended Sunday school, I don’t think I believed in God. But I picked up that notebook, and my journey started.
As a 16 year old, I started journaling, and for me, it’s always been a way to process. I have all these thoughts and questions, and I didn’t really have anyone super close to me at the time to ask or tell these things to. Being an avid reader, I know the power of words, and so, it’s become a special thing to have these words for my future self.
From trust to hope to white to Van GoghMy first journal starts off on August 19, 2015. At this point, I had recently turned 15 and the school year was just upon me. I was entering my 10th grade year. It lasts until August 7, 2016, my birthday next year. I wrote about what I wanted to be when I grow up (which I still don’t know), God, music, just reminding myself to live this one life with everything that I’ve got.
I started a structure that I don’t think I really thought through, but it has stuck with me. I start off with a song of the day. Music is so important to me, plus it’s a great way to record your favorites. I write the day and the time and the date. Then I just write a page a day. A page isn’t too much, and depending on the notebook, it isn’t too little.
With my first journal, I doodled all over it. But it died as I went along. My second journal, I started way later. I think I finished my first one, and by the end of it, I wasn’t as consistent. My second journal began on September 7, 2017, and it ended on August 4, 2018, after I graduated high school. The cool thing with each journal was that I utilized the inside of the cover for quotes I love or song lyrics – mostly song lyrics.
My third journal (the white journal) is one I’m proud because I really forced myself to be consistent and not miss random days, and so I wrote in this journal, every day of freshman year of college. I started on August 5, 2018, and it ended on May 9, 2019.
Things I learned about myself
- I’m constantly worried about the future
- Since I was 15, I’ve been telling myself I need to get my life together
- Since I was 15, I’ve wanted to start a blog
- I still listen to the same core music genres
- I redefined my future so many times and still what I wanted came true
- I fell in love with podcasts in 2018
Quotes from me
September 19, 2015
“Don’t allow yourself wasted worries over small things you don’t love.”
Me trying to write poetry (Shoutout to The Maine for inspiration)
April 27, 2016
“Some things amplify their absence by what’s present, defining all the lines by all the nonexistent shapes, I cannot see the bigger part of this plan, but I can feel the energy of all that’s happening around me…”
October 13, 2017
“The personal statement is like the initiation before joining a society, it really makes you regret the decision.”
June 8, 2018 – Six Flags trip
“The best part was hanging out with friends, laughing, crying, chatting, yelling, running, just being plain weird at strangers. Never forget that friendship is something special.”
July 22, 2018
“I could be happier and more appreciative of where I am in life than rushing each thing because I want the next. We are so good at seeking that we forget to be right where we are.”
March 14, 2019
“While we do have a sense of agency, life happens. The world amplifies the idea that we are to make it in spite of life. But what if life’s just leading us to where we’re really meant to be?”
May 9, 2019
“But I live for the moments of laughter for those people whose presence makes me smile. A conversation with a friend. Honestly, add some good music – and the world seems a little brighter.”
Journal prompts
- Write down 10 things you want to do in 10 years
- Write down things you’re grateful for
- Write some criteria for your dream job, future spouse, or ideal lifestyle
- Write out your ideal day with all the details
- Write about something that made you smile
- Write about what makes you wake up everyday
- Write down things that are going well
- Write down some areas of your life you need to give attention to
- Write down some short/long term goals
- Write down some habits you want + how you will get them
- Write out your fears
- Write a letter to your future self
- Write a letter from your future self
- Write what you’ve learned today, this month, or this year
- Write about your favorite song
- Write about what you believe
- Write about your good and bad decisions
- Write about how you feel + why you feel that way
Some journals I like
I journal because it’s a great way to process my emotions, I record my memories, and it’s a gift to my future self. I hope you find a good notebook, pick up a cool pen, and start journaling!
Signing off,
Gigi
Do you journal? Why? What do you write about? Comment below and follow the blog!
I guess I can relate to you with the journal. I started off and on when I was about 10 years.Wwhen I entered uni in 2016, I really started writing at least 5 times a week. At that point in my life I was lonely and sad. July 2018 till now, August 2019, I have written at least 2 pages every single day. And let me just say I have about 12 filled books with words, stories, memories, feelings.
That’s so cool! I have 3 filled journals at this point. I can’t even imagine 12!
How that happened I don’t really i know. it just gets easier and a habit the more you do it. Maybe the notesbooks are small, they’re only 160-200 pages. And they’re all filled. I keep them all in a shoebox under my bed